Behind the Heart of Stone
by ShinkisRule
Summary: A story about Sissi's past...
1. Chapter 1

**I read a story by RenaYumi about Sissi in kindergarten, and she was so nice there. I asked the author if she was planning on making it about how she got to be the Sissi we all know, and she said it was just gonna be a cute little oneshot. But that gave me an idea… I also added Nicholas's story just for fun.**

Behind the Heart of Stone

By ShinkisRule

Chapter 1

Elisabeth "Sissi" Delmas.

That name would have made anyone from Kadic Academy want to vomit themselves silly. Besides Herb and Nicholas, no one at that school liked Sissi. She was just another one of the self-proclaimed "popular" girls, one of the spoiled brats who thought the world was hers to rule. All Sissi cared about was herself, and everyone knew that. But there was one thing everyone didn't know.

Sissi wasn't always like this.

**

Sissi walked into the cafeteria after P.E. class. Normally she'd be exhausted at this point, but that class wasn't too terrible, so she felt fine. She looked over to the table across from her, and there was her best friend, Herb Pichon. The two of them were in sixth grade, though they weren't in the same class like they were last year. It was pretty disappointing that they couldn't see each other much anymore, but they tried to make do with the time they had.

"Hi, Sissi!" Herb said with a smile.

"Hi, Herb," Sissi said, smiling back at him, "How's your day been?"

"Pretty good so far," said Herb, "I have P.E. next, though." Herb frowned.

"Aw, cheer up," Sissi said, sitting down next to Herb, "I just had it and this class wasn't so bad. You're basically just playing catch for the whole period. You'll be in groups of two this time, and I'm sure Nicholas will try and make it easy for you."

"Nothing in that class is ever easy," Herb said in a defeated tone, "It's the one thing I don't have an A in."

"I wish I could say that," Sissi said, "That's the one thing I do have an A in. You're really smart, Herb. You shouldn't let something as little as sports get you down."

Herb shrugged. "I guess you're right," he said.

"Where is Nicholas, anyway?" Sissi asked.

"Nicholas?" repeated Irwin, the slightly odd 7th grader who would somehow always be around whenever there was a question that needed answering, "He's in the infirmary."

"What?" Sissi asked, "What's he doing there?"

"He has a bottom locker," said Irwin, "A book fell on his head."

"He went to the infirmary because of a book falling on his head?" Herb asked.

"It was a math book," said Irwin matter-of-factly.

"Oh, dear," Sissi and Herb both said at once. The math book was eight hundred and forty-two pages long. It had probably dislodged his brain upon impact. They both got up and ran to the infirmary.

**

"Nicholas…?" Sissi asked as she walked into the infirmary, unsure of whether or not he was even conscious.

"Sissi!!" Nicholas screamed from the bed, with an unusually large grin implanted upon his face, "There you are!! I'm so glad you came here!! And you even brought another you with you!! That's great!!! Now Watson and I can both marry you one day!! I LOVE YOU SISSI NUMBER TWO!!!!"

"That book must have hit him pretty hard," said Herb.

"Who's Watson?" asked Sissi.

"I believe that would be young Herbert," Irwin answered from inches behind Sissi's face.

"GAH!! IRWIN!!" Sissi screamed.

"It's the neighborhood hobo!!" said Nicholas, "Yay hobos!!!"

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!?!"

"Well, you see," Irwin began, "When a man and a woman love each other very much…"

"You highly disturb me!!" Sissi interrupted, "Please leave!"

"Bye, hobo!!"

"Very well, then," said Irwin, and did as Sissi commanded, murmuring "This is madness" on the way out.

"Madness?!" Nicholas repeated, "THIS IS SPARTAAAA!!!"

"Nicholas, calm down!" Sissi urged.

"Watson!!" Nicholas yelled, "My loyal butler!! Bring me a gummy bear!! A thirty-pound one with extra bigness!!"

"He thinks I'm his butler…" Herb said.

"He wants a giant gummy bear…?" Sissi asked.

"Well, Watson?! Gummy bear!! HOP TO IT, WATSON!!!"

"My name is Herb."

"Where's my trailer?! I need water!! Fill my trailer with water!!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sissi.

"ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON!!!"

"I thought he was Watson," Sissi said.

"Righty-o!!" Nicholas screeched, "Let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya!!! Come, Sissis, Watson!!"

"My name's not Watson!" Herb complained.

"There's only one of me!" Sissi added.

"_Kumbaya, my Lord, Kumbaya…_"

"Um… Nicholas?" Sissi asked, "Maybe you should just lie down and-"

"_KUMBAYA, MY LORD, KUMBAYAAAA!!!!_"

"Nicholas!" Herb yelled over the loud, obnoxious singing.

"Sing with me, Watson!!" Nicholas bellowed, "And, you, Sissi one, Sissi two! SING WITH ME!!! _Kumbaya, my Lord, Kumbaya…_"

Sissi and Herb reluctantly took their brain-damaged friend's hands and awkwardly joined him in song.

"_Oh, Lord, Kumbaya…_"

He never fully recovered.

**

_Dear Diary, _

_Nicholas is okay now. A few minutes after his song yesterday, he passed out, but he woke up a while ago sane again. Even though now he's… Well… He's not quite as bright as he used to be, at least he doesn't think there's two of me, that Irwin's the neighborhood hobo, or that Herb is his butler named Watson…_

KNOCK KNOCK!

Sissi closed her diary and hid it in her pillow. She went up to the door and opened it, where her father, Jean-Pierre, was standing.

"Hi, Daddy," Sissi said.

"Elisabeth, dear," said her father, "Do you have a moment for us to talk?"

"Mmm-hmm," said Sissi, "About what?"

Sissi and Jean-Pierre sat down on the bed.

"Have I told you already about my contract with Kadic Academy?" Jean-Pierre asked.

"Yeah," said Sissi, "The principal there's in the army, right?"

"Right," Jean-Pierre answered, "And I've just received word that he's been called to duty. Until he returns, I'll be taking over for him."

"Okay," said Sissi, smiling brightly, "That's great, Daddy. I'm sure you'll like it there."

"I think I will."

"So… Was that it?"

"No, dear, it's not. I came in here to tell you this because I want you to attend Kadic while I'm principal there."

"You want me to… What?" Sissi couldn't believe her ears. "You want me to leave school? But… But why?"

"If I'm working at a junior high school, I want it to be the one you're attending. That way I can take better care of you, and make sure you stay out of trouble."

"But I've never gotten into trouble at school before!" Sissi protested, "Why would it be any different now?"

"Because now I have the opportunity to watch over you."

"And you're going to take me away from all my friends to do that?!"

"Don't you see? I'm doing this for you. I'm trying to help you."

"Well you're not helping!" Sissi objected, "Everyone always picks on the new kid! And when they find out I'm the principal's daughter, they're gonna destroy me!"

"That's just it. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I don't know if you're having trouble at school or not. This way, I can prevent it altogether."

"But Daddy, I don't want to go!"

"Elisabeth, my decision is final. You're going to Kadic. You may have the rest of the week to say goodbye to your old friends, but on Monday, you'll be at Kadic."

"Daddy!" Sissi yelled, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Do not argue with me, young lady! You're lucky I'm giving you this much time! One more complaint and you're leaving tomorrow! Is that clear?"

Sissi began silently crying. How could he do that? It wasn't fair.

"Elisabeth! Is that clear?"

"Yes, Daddy…"

Jean-Pierre walked out of Sissi's room, leaving his daughter sobbing quietly into her pillow. Sissi's life had taken a turn for the worst, and she had the feeling that it wasn't about to get any better.

**I believe Sissi's about twelve in this story. Maybe eleven. I'm not entirely sure. But twelve seems to work better. So what's gonna happen to Sissi at Kadic that makes her evil? I'm working on the next chapter where it all begins…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Finally, I have continued the story! I get stuck a lot… My bad… Turns out, Sissi is a real name (If this is common knowledge, then I apologize, but I didn't know, okay?). It means [insert meaning here]. Now we're going to find out how Elisabeth became Sissi.**

Sissi trudged into her new school Monday morning, shoulders slumped, head sunken, and her eyes exhausted from last night. She'd only had three days. Three days left with Herb and Nicholas and all the other friends she had made. It wasn't enough time. If she'd been given three weeks, it wouldn't have been enough. Didn't her father understand? Didn't he remember what middle school was like? How could he not know how much it hurt to leave your best friends behind? Maybe he didn't have friends. If that was the case, then he must have assumed that Sissi didn't either. What a stupid thing to think. Even after she had told him, he still never would have grasped how important her friends were to her. But maybe it wasn't like that. Maybe he did know. Whether or not he cared was a completely different question.

Already she heard whispers. Other kids would look at her for a moment without recognizing her, and then they would figure it out. She was the new kid, and the new principal's daughter. There was little resemblance- Sissi had much more of her mother in her- but it was pretty obvious that it was her from the way she'd wander around, with no idea of where she was.

Herb and Nicholas had told Sissi they'd do their best to get into Kadic next year. But wasn't it your first year in a school that mattered most? Whatever the students here thought about her this first year would be what they thought forever. And as much as Sissi wanted to make a good impression… She just couldn't do it anymore. She didn't know anyone here… She was too busy feeling sorry for herself to meet anybody. She thought that maybe she would find a friend in her roommate, but her father didn't even allow her that much. Maybe she had privacy. Maybe she had a whole room to herself, enough to make it look like home. But all it really did was emphasize that she was alone.

Sitting by herself at lunch was bad enough for Sissi. But since she was at a boarding school now, she was alone during breakfast and dinner, too. Occasionally some nice kids came and sat with her for a few minutes, but since Sissi didn't really feel like talking, she gave the impression that she didn't want people around her. So they left her alone. It was impossible to express what that felt like. The handful of quiet people at her old school came to mind. Now she understood.

After a week, Sissi had pretty much adjusted to her new environment. Well, except for the fact that she'd made a total of zero friends. But she'd just about gotten over all her old friends. She had summer vacation to see them again, after all. Now it was time to make new friends. But it was easier said than done. Sissi had become the quiet girl. Or at least, that was what people thought. She just felt weird about walking up to a random person and talking to them, and even weirder about suddenly adding herself to a table. So she really had no idea what she was doing.

_Just walk up to someone and say hi,_ Sissi thought to herself, wandering around outside before dinner, looking for anyone, _what's the worst that could happen, really? Just say hi._

"Hi," said a voice from behind.

Sissi nearly jumped, then turned around. Standing in front of her was a boy. He was an inch or so taller than her, with light brown hair that hung just below his ears, and were it not parted in the middle, it would be covering his eyes. He was a little bit skinny, but… He was actually kind of cute.

Sissi looked around for a moment. "Uh…" she stammered, "You _are_ talking to me, right?"

"Yes, I'm talking to you," said the boy, "My name's Christophe, but pretty much everyone just calls me Chris."

"Hi," said Sissi, "My name's Elisabeth… But all of my friends call me Sissi."

"Would these friends be from here or your old school?" asked Christophe/Chris.

"My old school," said Sissi, a little embarrassed, "I don't exactly have friends here…"

"Well, then, I'm honored to be the first."

"Are you new here, too?" asked Sissi.

"No," said Chris, "I'm just one grade higher than you. That's why you don't recognize me."

Sissi smiled. Usually upperclassmen didn't even acknowledge younger people's existence. But Chris was even willing to make friends with the new kid. He was really nice.

"It's great to meet you," said Sissi.

"So why do your friends call you Sissi?" asked Chris.

Sissi froze. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about to someone she'd just met… It wasn't something she liked to remember. She'd gotten so used to that being her name, she just… Sometimes she forgot where it came from.

"…It's a long story," said Sissi with a sigh, walking over to a tree and leaning against it.

"What do you mean?" asked Chris.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sissi wasn't even making eye contact now.

"If it's embarrassing, then okay. You don't have to tell me."

"It's not that. It's just… Not many people have asked me that, and I've only had to explain it like once, and it was hard enough the first time, and just thinking about it, even, and I just met you-"

"We've got to get to know each other some time," said Chris.

Sissi sighed. He was right. Only her closest friends knew where her name came from. This was what would bring them so close together.

"Sissi was my mother's name," Sissi began, "My grandma would call me 'Little Sissi' sometimes… I was a lot like her, I guess. Most people would still call me Elisabeth, though… Until my mom… I was only eight… It just became my name."

"What happened to her?"

Sissi's voice was choked, but that was as far as it would go. "It was cancer… I know she was my own mother, but I thought since everyone else was just falling apart, I… I had to be the strong one… Taking on her name was my way of doing that… Just to be her for everyone else… And it was also to make sure I'd never forget her." Sissi didn't break down after that. It had been four years, after all. She'd learned to accept what had happened. But all the same… She still missed her mother more than she could possibly express.

"You don't look like you want any sympathy," said Chris, not in and insensitive way, but more understanding, "But you do look like you could use some dinner buddies. So what do you say?"

Sissi smiled. "Sure."

"Though most of my friends have little to no manners… Maybe it'd be best if it were just you and me."

Sissi agreed, not doubting a word of that. She didn't really care about how many friends she had… He was enough.

The time had come for the first school dance since Sissi had arrived at Kadic. The only reason she really went was to keep her father happy. She'd always go to the dances at her old school, just to be with friends, but here it was a bit different… The boys were much more assertive here, and when asked to dance with someone she didn't really know… Well, frankly, Sissi had no idea how to say no. She felt very uncomfortable. A trick she had learned to avoid this would be to literally hide in her circle of friends, but that wouldn't work when she only had one. How was she going to do this? There wasn't anyone here she was really willing to dance with except for…

"Hey, Sissi," said Chris, interrupting her train of thought.

"Oh, hey!" Sissi greeted back, pretending to be comfortable with her surroundings and failing miserably, "Fun dance, right? I want some punch! I'll get that now…"

"Just a second."

"Heh?"

"Listen…" said Chris, sounding a bit nervous, but confident, "Do you want to dance?"

Sissi's eyes bulged. How…? Why did…? He really…? She couldn't even think in complete sentences.

"Well, I don't know, I mean, I'm not much of a dancer, and even though I do take dance classes I'm still really clumsy and I could step on your foot or-"

"I don't care about how good you are. Do you want to?"

Sissi smiled. "I'd love to," she replied, more sure of her words than she'd ever been. And just as a slow song came on, they started to dance.

That was when it all began.

**Me ends it with a sinister line :D**


End file.
